Response variability is associated with self-reported cognitive fatigue in multiple sclerosis

Neuropsychology. 2010 Jan;24(1):77-83. doi: 10.1037/a0015046.

Abstract

Cognitive fatigue is a common, often debilitating symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Although MS patients frequently report that fatigue negatively affects cognitive functioning, most studies have found little evidence for a direct relationship between self-reported cognitive fatigue and traditional measures of neuropsychological functioning. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between self-reported cognitive fatigue and a measure of response time variability (RTV). MS patients demonstrated significantly higher RTV than controls, and RTV was highly correlated with self-reported cognitive fatigue among relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS patients. Results highlight the need to implement newer methods to further elucidate the relationship between cognitive fatigue and neuropsychological functioning in MS.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Association*
  • Attention
  • Cognition Disorders / etiology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Intelligence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis / complications*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / psychology*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Reaction Time / physiology*
  • Self Concept*
  • Social Behavior
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Statistics, Nonparametric